THE sister of dog attack victim Nicole Morey has called for stricter XL Bully laws — and warned: “People won’t feel the pain until it hits their front doorstep.”
Tragic Nicole, 23, was brutally attacked by her own pet dogs — including the restricted breed — after celebrating her birthday at a house in Ballyneety, Co Limerick, in June.
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From this week, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphrey’s new legislation will make it illegal to import, breed or sell an XL Bully dog.
From February, it will also be against the law to own an XL Bully without a certificate of exemption confirming the animal is licenced, micro-chipped and neutered.
The new law was prompted by Nicole’s death and followed a spate of vicious attacks involving the breed in recent years.
But in her first ever interview, Nicole’s heartbroken sister Jolene said she fears the new guidelines simply don’t go far enough, urging for greater restrictions on the “dangerous dogs” to be brought in.
Read more on XL Bully Ban
She welcomed the legislative changes but called for tighter measures to ensure there is no repeat of the tragedy — explaining how Nicole had adhered to the rules.
Jolene told RTE’s Upfront with Katie Hannon: “The law they’re bringing out, you have to have a licence, you have to have papers. But my sister had all them, and it still had to take a death to bring in the law.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a big enough change in it. I think people are going to keep the dogs, and then there’s going to be more accidents and more attacks.
“But people won’t feel the pain until it hits their front doorstep.
“I think there should be a stricter law brought in. They’re dangerous dogs. They’re not small puppies. They’re not dogs that you could just mess around with. They can just switch in two seconds.”
Nicole, a keen animal lover, was alone with her four beloved dogs when she was fatally attacked nearly four months ago.
On the night she was killed, she had been visiting a friend and celebrating her 23rd birthday.
Before she left to go home, Nicole told her friend that she had to go to feed the dogs, which she had taken in during a previous relationship.
While in the taxi home, she phoned her sister Jolene to chat about the night, but shortly after the call ended, Jolene received a text from a friend saying that her sister needed help.
She recalled: “I was like, ‘What do you mean my sister needs help?’ Then the ex-partner got in contact with someone and said that the dogs were attacking Nicole.”
During attempts to contact her relatives, Nicole’s family were sent videos of the attack moments after she was fatally injured which were captured on CCTV.
What is the new XL Bully ban?
HERE is everything you need to know about the new XL Bully ban in Ireland.
The XL Bully ban comes into force in two stages beginning on the October 1, 2024, with a full ownership ban from February 1 2025.
The period between these two dates will allow current XL Bully dog owners time to apply for a Certificate of Exemption from their local authority to permit them to keep their dog until the end of its natural life.
There will be no fee for the certificate of exemption.
Owners will be able to apply for a certificate of exemption from their local authority from 1st October subject to the dog being:
- Licensed
- Microchipped
- Neutered
Certificates of Exemption
The Certificate of Exemption will be unique to each XL Bully type dog and owner.
It will specify the dog’s licence details, microchip details, neutering details, age and description. It will also specify the dog owner’s name, address, date of birth and contact number.
A Certificate of Exemption is issued by the Local Authority and authorises the owner of an XL Bully type dog to keep that dog at a particular premises until the natural end of the dog’s life.
After February 1, 2025, all XL Bully type dog owners should either be in possession of a Certificate of Exemption or have proof that they applied for a Certificate of Exemption.
Owners must apply to their local authority after October 1, 2024.
No fee will be charged for a Certificate of Exemption.
Penalties for breaching the regulations
Any owner found to be in breach of the regulations will have committed an offence under the Control of Dogs Act 1986.
The dog may be seized and euthanized in a humane manner and the owner will be subject to the penalties outlined in that Act:
A fine of up to €2,500, or imprisonment of a term of up to 3 months, or both.
The Garda Regional Armed Support Unit shot the XL bully dead at the scene, having responded to the emergency call out.
The three other dogs were taken away and eventually destroyed by the authorities.
GUT FEELING
Opening up about learning of her sister’s condition, Jolene said: “I was sitting in my room in darkness, and I rang Nicole because I didn’t believe it was real.
“Then I texted her, I said, ‘Are you OK?’ And got no message back. And then a video got sent to me.
“And they asked me if it was with my sister. I just remember clicking into a video and seeing her on the floor.
“I was just waiting for the phone call to say she’s gone because I had a feeling in my stomach that she didn’t survive it.
“But my mom was like, ‘No, it’s only bites and stuff’. Then my uncle rang, and I just knew from his voice that she was gone.”
‘HORRIBLE MEMORY’
In her emotional interview on RTE’s Upfront with Katie Hannon, she recalled rushing to University Hospital Limerick with family, only to learn the worst.
Jolene said: “Every ambulance that was coming, we were running to see if Nicole was in them. But then a doctor came out and said Nicole is not coming here. Then I can just remember everyone crying.
“I just remember my mother screaming, crying. It was horrible. It was a horrible memory.”
Jolene told how her family were determined for Nicole to be remembered for who she was, rather than how she died.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a big enough change in it. I think people are going to keep the dogs, and then there’s going to be more accidents and more attacks.”
Jolene Morey
She continued: “My family want Nicole to be remembered as how much of a good person she was. Not the girl that died from the dog attack or the video that’s going viral. Nicole did so well in life.
“She would do anything for anyone. She’s just a lovable person.”
The eldest of the six siblings, Jolene described her late sister as “the rock” of the family, adding: “She was the cleverest out of all of us. She was a lovable person. The best big sister to all her brothers and sisters. She had a nickname, ‘Mothers’, because she was just like a mother to us, as well.
“Nicole used to come up and if any of us were being bold for my mum, Nicole would think she’s the mum and step in. She did her Leaving Cert. She was right up to the top. She had jobs. She made my mother proud. She made us all proud. She was just the best sister.”
‘SHE LOVED THEM’
Jolene added: “I don’t like dogs myself, but I would sit down with them. We’d go for long walks as she lived in the countryside. Their dogs were like a child to Nicole. That’s how she loved them.”
She also said that although she was always slightly wary of her sister’s dogs, Jolene trusted them and never suspected they could turn on Nicole.
She revealed: “Sometimes they would get rowdy, but not to a point where they’ll go for her.”
- Watch Upfront with Katie Hannon tonight at 10.35pm on RTE One and RTE Player.
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